The ETS® Personal Potential Index (ETS® PPI): General Information

How does the ETS PPI relate to the letters of recommendation?

The ETS PPI and the letter of recommendation have important but distinct roles to play in an applicant's graduate admissions process. Unlike a letter of recommendation, the ETS PPI Evaluation Report provides standardized information based on your responses to a common set of structured questions about six key personal attributes. The ETS PPI Evaluation Report can incorporate ratings from a number of evaluators rather than just one, adding to the reliability of the report.

How do I sign up for the ETS PPI?

You can create an ETS PPI applicant account here. You will be asked to enter a username, password, security question, the last four digits of your Social Security number (if applicable) and contact and educational information. If you registered for the GRE® General Test on or after May 1, 2009, or you registered to take the GRE® revised General Test, enter your name exactly as it appears in your test registration. Your four free credits for ETS PPI Evaluation Reports will not appear in your ETS PPI Account if you sign in under a different name.

How much does the ETS PPI cost?

If you registered for the GRE General Test on or after May 1, 2009, or you register to take the GRE revised General Test, you can send up to four free ETS PPI Evaluation Reports as part of your test fee. Additional reports can be sent for US$20 each. If you registered for the GRE General Test before May 1, 2009, or are not taking the GRE revised General Test, you can order ETS PPI Evaluation Reports at a cost of US$20 per report.

Your Evaluators and Your ETS PPI Evaluation Report

Whom should I choose to evaluate me?

You should choose someone such as a professor, teaching assistant or supervisor who can comment on your personal skills and potential for success in graduate, business or professional school. Evaluators cannot be family members. You do not have to enter information for all evaluators at the same time. You can come back at any time and add additional evaluators. Evaluations will remain in your account for five years.

What do I need to tell my evaluator about the ETS PPI?

Before adding evaluators to your account, be sure to contact potential evaluators to see if they are willing to participate. Let them know that the evaluation should take about 15 minutes to complete. Also confirm that the evaluators have access to email and that you have their correct email address.

How many evaluators can I have?

The ETS PPI system allows you to include the evaluations of up to five evaluators in a single ETS PPI Evaluation Report. You are not limited to the same five evaluators for each report; however, you can choose different evaluators for different evaluation reports. You can ask up to 25 people to evaluate you in the ETS PPI system.

How do I request an ETS PPI evaluation?

Once you have entered information for a particular evaluator, click "Send Request to Evaluator." An email message is automatically sent to the evaluator requesting that he or she complete an ETS PPI evaluation by a date that you designate.

How do I know that the evaluator has received my request?

The evaluator can accept or decline the request to complete an ETS PPI evaluation. You will receive an email confirmation from ETS indicating whether the evaluator has accepted or declined the request. You will also receive an email when each evaluator has completed the evaluation. The status of evaluation requests can also be viewed in your ETS PPI account under "Manage Evaluators and Evaluation Requests."

How do I track the status of my evaluation requests?

The status of evaluation requests can be viewed in your ETS PPI account under "Manage Evaluators and Evaluation Requests."

Can I create my ETS PPI account and order an ETS PPI Evaluation Report at the same time?

No. You cannot order an ETS PPI Evaluation Report until the evaluators whose evaluations you would like to include in a report have completed their evaluations.

The first step is to log in to the ETS PPI system, create an account, enter your evaluator information and submit requests to your evaluators to complete an evaluation by a date you select.

Once all of the evaluators have completed their evaluations, the second step is to log in to the ETS PPI system and choose the institutions you would like to receive an ETS PPI Evaluation Report and the evaluations that should be included in each report.

Can I see the evaluators' evaluations?

You will not be able to see any evaluations in the ETS PPI system itself. If you did not waive your rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), you will be entitled to see your completed ETS PPI Evaluation Report if retained by the graduate or professional school you ultimately attend. If you did waive your rights under FERPA, you will not be entitled to see the completed ETS PPI Evaluation Report. Your FERPA Inspection Waiver decision will be part of your ETS PPI Applicant profile. It will appear in an email message sent to each evaluator and on each ETS PPI Evaluation Report sent to the institutions you designate.

What if there is no response from an evaluator?

If you do not receive an email confirmation from ETS indicating that an evaluator has accepted or declined your ETS PPI evaluation request, you need to contact the evaluator. If necessary, the system will allow you to resend the ETS PPI evaluation request.

What if an evaluator does not speak English?

ETS has translations of the ETS PPI evaluator statements in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish-language to assist evaluators who do not speak English in understanding the statements on which they must rate the applicants. However, all screens within the ETS PPI system are in English and all information entered into the evaluation must be entered in English.

Sending Your Evaluation Report

Where can I find a list of institutions that receive ETS PPI Evaluation Reports?

How long does it take for an ETS PPI Evaluation Report to reach a designated institution?

Evaluation Reports are processed within four business days and mailed within seven business days of the date you submit your order. If you receive reports electronically, they will be sent within four business days from the date you submit your order.

If I am entitled to free ETS PPI Evaluation Reports, how long do I have to use them?

You have up to five years to use your free credits for ETS PPI Evaluation Reports. In addition, you can include evaluations in ETS PPI Evaluation Reports for up to five years from the date the evaluations were completed.

What if an institution has questions about the identity of an evaluator?

Before submitting an ETS PPI evaluation, evaluators must e-sign a statement confirming their identity and acknowledging that they have been informed of the potential penalties for misrepresentation. Evaluation Reports include contact information for each evaluator, and ETS encourages graduate and professional schools to contact evaluators if they have any questions about their evaluations or if there are significant variations among the ratings. If an institution identifies any misrepresentation, they can take a number of actions including but not limited to dismissing you from their program.

Technical Requirements

Which browsers does the ETS PPI support?

ETS PPI supports the latest production versions of these web browsers.

Microsoft® Internet Explorer® version 8 or 9 (Users with Internet Explorer® 10: see important note below)

Firefox® version 21

Safari® version 5.1

In addition, in order to use the ETS PPI web site, the following web browser settings are required:

Please consult the documentation for your web browser on how to make these changes.

If you access the ETS PPI registration site without meeting these requirements, some functionality may not perform optimally and/or may be disabled.

Important Note: If you are not using one of the supported browsers, some functions may be disabled and the application may not work properly.

Is this site secure?

ETS has established safeguards to help prevent unauthorized access to or misuse of your personal information. If you register for a web account, you will be asked to select a password to help protect your information. These passwords help us verify your identity before granting access or making corrections to any of your personal information. You should never disclose your password to anyone. ETS will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or email.

When you provide credit/debit card information, it is transmitted using SSL technology to help prevent unauthorized access to or misuse of that information.

Secure web pages always begin with https://.

How do I submit payment?

If payment is required when ordering your ETS PPI Evaluation Reports, you will be asked to submit credit/debit card information. American Express®, Discover®, JCB, MasterCard® and VISA® credit/debit cards are accepted.

What if I forget my username and/or password?

If you forget your username and/or password, access "Returning Users" on the sign-in page of the ETS PPI system, click the "Forgot your username or password?" link and follow the instructions provided on the screen.

What if I need to change my password?

If you need to change your password, sign in to your ETS PPI account, click the "Change Password or Security Question" link on your home page and follow the instructions to change your password.